Last year around this time, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ basketball fans were roaming the sidewalks and casinos of Las Vegas to watch their Wildcats play in a conference tournament.
T-Mobile Arena turned into a cardinal red sea when it was ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s turn to play in the Pac-12 Tournament.
Nowadays, the UA faithful will have to wear a coat — and their stretchy pants to make room for the unending amounts of barbecue — walking the streets of Kansas City for the Big 12 Tournament.
The “McKale Center North†mantra likely won’t live up to the same reputation at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City; more like “Allen Fieldhouse East†(Kansas), “Bramlage Coliseum East†(Kansas State) or “Hilton Coliseum South†(Iowa State).
The Big 12 Tournament first started in 1997 at Kansas City’s Kemper Arena (now called Hy-Vee Arena). The Big 12 alternated the conference tournament location between Kansas City, Dallas and Oklahoma City in the 2000s, before officially calling T-Mobile Center home until 2031.
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Kansas and Iowa State have combined to win 18 of the 27 Big 12 Tournament championships. The Jayhawks are 47-13 (78.3%) at the Big 12 Tournament — 12-4 in Big 12 Tournament championship games.
As ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ embarks on a new chapter at the Big 12 Tournament, here’s a look at 10 memorable years for the Wildcats in a conference tournament:
University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ coaches, including head coach Lute Olson, at right in gray suit, and assistant Kevin O’Neill, wearing glasses, during the 1988 Pac-10 Tournament.
1988
Location: McKale Center
The rundown: When the Pac-10 Tournament was created, the games were played at the arena of the host site. UCLA hosted the first-ever Pac-10 Tournament, then ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ hosted the following season and won. Led by Sean Elliott, Anthony Cook and Steve Kerr, the Wildcats clobbered Cal, Stanford and Oregon State by an average of 21.3 points. After ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ won its first-ever Pac-10 Tournament title, the Wildcats went on to the program’s first-ever Final Four appearance. The No. 1-ranked Wildcats won the Pac-10 Tournament again in 1989.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcat Jud Buechler heads towards the basket, knocking over UCLA’s Trevor Wilson during action in their final game in the Pac-10 tournament, Sunday, March 12, 1990, in Tempe. The Wildcats won 94-78.
1990
Location: University Activity Center (Tempe, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥)
The rundown: ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ made history by becoming the first team in Pac-10 history to win the conference tournament without being the top-seeded team. ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ guard Matt Muehlebach recorded the school’s first triple-double in a 94-78 win over UCLA in the Pac-10 Tournament championship. ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ forward Jud Buechler was named MVP of the tournament. The 1990 event was the last conference tournament until it was resurrected a dozen years later.
LEFT: Luke Walton’s dad, former UCLA Bruin star Bill Walton, cheers on the Wildcats by booing the USC players when they came out onto the court on March 9, 2002.
2002
Location: Staples Center (Los Angeles)
The rundown: Technically, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ was a 15-season defending Pac-10 Tournament champion. The Pac-10 shut down the conference tournament and gave the regular-season champion an automatic bid for the NCAA Tournament, but the Pac-10 brought back the conference tournament, holding the multi-day event in the heart of downtown L.A. Second-seeded ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ beat ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ State, Cal and USC en route to its fourth Pac-10 Tournament championship. Luke Walton was named Pac-10 Tournament MVP. It was Lute Olson’s last Pac-10 Tournament championship as head coach of the Wildcats.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s Momo Jones tries in vain to block the game-winning shot by Washington’s Isaiah Thomas in the overtime in the championship game of the Pac-10 Tournament at the Staples Center on March 9, 2011, in Los Angeles, Calif. ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ lost 77-75 in overtime.
2011
Location: Staples Center (Los Angeles)
The rundown: In head coach Sean Miller’s second season at the helm, the Derrick Williams-led Wildcats won the Pac-10 regular-season title. Three weeks after Williams’ game-saving block against Washington in the “white out†game at McKale Center, the Huskies had the last laugh, with a game-winning step-back shot to win 77-75 in overtime.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ players celebrate blowing out Oregon 80-52 to claim the Pac-12 Tournament title on March 14, 2015, at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
2015
Location: MGM Grand Garden Arena (Las Vegas)
The rundown: After adding Colorado and Utah, the Pac-10 became the Pac-12 and the league moved its conference tournament to Las Vegas. The Wildcats lost to UCLA in the 2014 Pac-12 Tournament championship, but avenged their loss in 2015 in the semifinals, before routing Oregon for the championship. UA forward Brandon Ashley, who suffered a season-ending foot injury the prior season, was named the Pac-12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player.
ABOVE: ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ coach Sean Miller holds up the trophy after ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ defeated Oregon 83-80 in the championship of the Pac-12 men’s tournament Saturday, March 11, 2017, in Las Vegas.
2017
Location: T-Mobile Arena (Las Vegas)
The rundown: The Pac-12 Tournament moved to the newly-built T-Mobile Arena after four seasons at MGM Grand Garden Arena. In the Pac-12 Tournament semifinals, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ beat UCLA, led by star point guard Lonzo Ball, in the season rubber match to set up a battle against the Oregon Ducks, the regular-season champion. Despite Oregon stars Dillon Brooks and Tyler Dorsey combining for 48 points, the Wildcats prevailed and won 83-80. ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ guard Allonzo Trier, who was named the Pac-12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player, made four critical free throws in the final 17 seconds to win the game.
Rawle Alkins makes USC’s Elijah Stewart his own poster during the Pac-12 Tournament championship in 2018.
2018
Location: T-Mobile Arena (Las Vegas)
The rundown: ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ freshman Deandre Ayton recorded a monstrous 32 points on 14-for-20 shooting (70%) and grabbed 18 rebounds in the Pac-12 Tournament championship game. Ayton’s most memorable play against the Trojans was an assist: ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s big man drew a double-team of Nick Rakocevic and Jordan Usher on the baseline, then passed to a cutting Rawle Alkins for a thunderous dunk over USC guard Elijah Stewart.
Signage at T-Mobile Arena advertises the cancellation of the 2020 Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament amid fears of the spread of coronavirus (what would later be known as COVID-19).
2020
Location: T-Mobile Arena (Las Vegas)
The rundown: Before 2020, the last time ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ won a game that ended its season, the Wildcats were cutting down nets in Indianapolis. Then a global pandemic happened. The Wildcats outlasted Washington 77-70 in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament. ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ freshman guard Josh Green had a team-high 19 points and knocked three 3-pointers for the first time in 22 games. Due to concerns of the COVID-19 pandemic and rising cases nationally, the Pac-12 shut down the conference tournament, before the NCAA shuttered its national tournament.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ coach Tommy Lloyd, center, celebrates after the Wildcats defeated UCLA in the 2022 Pac-12 Tournament championship game in Las Vegas.
2022
Location: T-Mobile Arena (Las Vegas)
The rundown: In the Pac-12 Tournament championship, with starting point guard Kerr Kriisa sidelined with an ankle injury and his replacement in foul trouble, the Wildcats relied on Dalen Terry and Pelle Larsson to handle facilitator duties. Terry dished seven assists and, with the help from star Bennedict Mathurin and two critical 3-pointers by Adama Bal, led ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ back after facing a 12-point deficit. The 22-5 run in the second half propelled the Wildcats to an 84-76 win over 16th-ranked UCLA.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ players celebrate after defeating UCLA in the championship game of the Pac-12 Tournament on March 11, 2023, in Las Vegas.
2023
Location: T-Mobile Arena (Las Vegas)
The rundown: ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s revenge tour in the Pac-12 Tournament ended with a 61-59 win over UCLA. ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ guard Courtney Ramey missed his first four 3-point attempts until he made one in the final seconds of the title game. ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ beat Stanford, ASU and UCLA, three teams it had lost to in the regular season. The Wildcats celebrated back-to-back Pac-12 Tournament championships for the first time since 1990 and 2002. ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s 2017 and ’18 Pac-12 Tournament championships were stripped due to an NCAA infractions case.
Contact Justin Spears, the Star’s ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ football beat reporter, at jspears@tucson.com. On X(Twitter): @JustinESports
Justin Spears
Sports Reporter
Gone are the good ol' days of the Pac-12. Onward to Kansas City
